An Angel's Wings
by Lunar Kestrel
Summary: Spoilers! Life was never strange for Anna Irving, until she got a mysterious fortune that told of happy and unhappy things in her future. Things got stranger when she found and wounded man who seemed to have fallen from the sky. Very Strange, indeeed. KxA
1. The Hands of Fate

**An Angel's Wings**

**New ToS story! Woot! This idea has been festering in my head forever! This is a Kranna story. (It's my favorite pairing.) It's the story of Kratos and Anna, and eventually Lloyd.**

**So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer-Tales of Symphonia and its characters do not belong to me. Nope.**

**,',',',**

**Chapter One- The Hands of Fate**

Anna sighed, washing her face in the cool running stream in front of her. She had just finished shopping for food for her and her parents. She had taken a break, because the market in Luin was a mile away from where she and her family were staying for a bit while their house was being built.

Walking home, she saw a tent. It looked very interesting, colored red, black, and purple. She walked up to it, and saw a hanging sign, reading 'Fortune Teller'. This interested Anna greatly. She lifted up the tent flap and entered. She set down her basket of groceries and went up to the crone sitting at a single table in the center of the room.

"Excuse me…are you the fortune teller?" Anna received no answer, so she decided to leave. "Well, I'll just be-"

"Yes," the crone spoke, her voice scratchy with age. "I am. Sit down."

"Erm, okay…" Anna sat down hesitantly in the seat across from the fortune teller.

"You are the fifth person to come to me today," the old woman gave a cackle.

"Uh, I would like my fortune to be told," Anna was slightly frightened by the hag, but stayed out of pure curiosity.

The fortune teller took on a sweet tone, "I know dearie; just wait. It'll come eventually." Then, the old woman seemed to go into a trance. Her wrinkly skin turned pale, and her eyes clouded up.

Anna backed up, scared at the transformation.

The hag finally spoke,

"When love beckons you, follow him,

Though his ways are hard and steep,

And when his wings enfold you,

Yield to him,

Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you."

This was utterly confusing to Anna. Wings? Sword? She clutched her head.

The woman seemed to come back to reality, "Ah, I see wonderful thing in your future. But beware, unfortunate things may happen. I will not charge you…go home, and be careful."

Anna quickly ran off, grabbing her basket. She heard the old fortune teller shouting a warning at her, but she didn't listen. The unfortunate things part made her shiver. She ran all the way home without stopping.

**,',',',**

Kratos stormed out of the meeting room. Mithos had gone too far this time. Yuan was still in the room, surprised at Kratos' sudden outburst. Mithos was just so frustrating. Kratos sped to his room and gathered his belongings.

"Come on Noishe! We are leaving!" Kratos beckoned to the protozoan who was a bit startled at being woken up, but glad to get out for a while.

He had just made it to the warp portal when he saw Angel Archers, sent by Mithos, chasing after him.

Kratos cursed under his breath. He hurriedly teleported to the corresponding portal on the Sylvarant side, with Noishe standing right beside him to him.

Rushing through the tower, Kratos took out his cerulean wings which fluttered behind him calmly. Bursting out the tower, Kratos took flight.

"Follow me on the ground, Noishe!" he commanded to his pet, who barked to show he understood.

Kratos raced through the clear blue skies dodging all the arrows that were shot at him. Swerving and maneuvering trough the air, he kept a wary eye on Noishe. That's when he saw her, a girl sitting on a stump in a clearing in a forest. She was watching a nearby stream as it flowed past.

Kratos' angelic hearing caught the girl humming a tune all too familiar to him. He played the lyrics in his head, which were of the angelic tongue.

Kratos could not take his eyes off of her. On his face was a look of pure disbelief. Were his ears deceiving him?

Suddenly, Kratos felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. While he was looking at that girl, an angel had fired and hit! Barley, though. It had only grazed his shoulder. He could still feel the blood flowing onto his back and chest.

_Damn!_

Before Kratos could do anything, though, he was hit again, right on his back. Pain surged through his body as he fell and a rapid speed towards the forest. His wings quickly drew into his back and disappeared. Kratos fell unconscious before impact to the ground. Noishe, who had seen his master fall, ran to his aid.

Then, a figure emerged from the trees close to the stream next to which Kratos had fallen.

**,',',',**

It was five days after Anna had received her fortune, and nothing considerably noticeable actually happened to her. Well, that was until today.

She was back at the stream, content with watching it flow past for hours.

Anna started to hum a tune, not bored, but in a musical mood. The sounds just came out of her mouth by their own accord. It was a lullaby her grandmother used to sing to her. She could never remember the words, because they were, as her grandmother had said, in the sacred language of the angels.

She had just begun to re-hum the melody when she heard violent rustling followed by a heavy thump. Anna gasped. Whatever had fallen was big. It was probably a bit larger than her.

Anna ran to where she predicted the fallen object would be and was astonished at the sight. She gasped aloud. In front of her was a large green and silver dog with enormous ears. But what was behind it was what scared Anna the most. There was a man dressed in purple with auburn hair and a sword by his side. He was soaked with blood and unconscious. He had an arrow embedded in his back.

Anna felt sick to her stomach. She had never seen…so much blood! She staggered backward, and puked.

**,',',',**

**Well, chapter one of my newest fanfiction! Did you like it? If do, pray that I will update. I am a procrastinator…grrrr.**


	2. A Beautiful Friendship?

**YESH!**

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own Tales of Symphonia or its characters. (Last chapter, I forgot to mention that I don't own the poem (the fortune). It is an excerpt from the Prophet by Kalil Gibran. But isn't it just perfect?)**

**,',',',**

**Chapter Two: A Beautiful Friendship?**

Anna breathed heavily, trying to regain composure. The dog thing looked at her quizzically. She ran over to the stream and took a drink.

"I guess…I have to help this guy," she muttered to herself, wiping off her mouth. She turned around and gulped. _Ignore the blood, Anna! This man needs your help._

Hesitantly, she walked over to where the man was laying. Questions suddenly entered into her head. Who shot that arrow, and how did he fall like that, he couldn't have been flying. Anna shook them out of her head as to focus on removing the arrow. She couldn't take him anywhere with the arrow protruding from his back.

Anna reached her hand out to grab the arrow, but the dog snapped at her, growling. "I'm not gonna hurt him," she assured the dog. He backed up, watching her intently.

Once again, she extended her hand and grabbed the arrow. She yanked at it slightly, and knew it was stuck tight. It must have been some kind of barbed arrow.

Just as Anna was about to take her hand off the arrow, another hand grabbed hers. She screamed. Loudly.

The man on the ground cringed.

Anna was baffled, "How are you…but the arrow…whaaaa?"

The purple clad man sat up with some trouble. "Who…who are you?" he growled. Grunting, he hefted himself up in a sitting position.

"I'm the person who was trying to save your life!"

"Save my-urgh!" The man doubled over, coughing. He removed his hand from in front of his mouth. What he saw was blood. "Damn it! I must have cracked some ribs." he started to cough again. He wiped the corner of his mouth.

"It's no wonder! You fell from who-knows-where!" Anna cried, waving her arms around. She began digging through her bag.

"Nothing in there will help much," the man stated indifferently. Struggling, he stood up.

"Don't stand up! You'll hurt yourself more!"

"I've had worse…"

"Psh! I bet. We need to get the arrow out. You're gonna lose a lot of blood! That arrow has made quite a hole…Who are you? How did this happen…?" Anna asked in a concerned voice.

The man seemed to think for a while. When he saw fit to speak, he said, "My name is Kratos, I am a mercenary. I was in that tree looking out for someone who was following me…He shot me from behind and caught me off guard. I fell from the tree, and he came and stole what he wanted from me. He left after that. It was of little consequence." Short and simple…it seemed like enough.

"'Little consequence'?! You got an arrow in your back." It was then that Kratos tugged at the projectile fiercely. He did not seem concerned that more blood openly flowed from the now wider wound.

Anna gasped; then gagged. This was not helping her nerves! She quickly grabbed an apple gel, which she had in her bag, and smothered it onto the wound on Kratos' back. This apparently surprised him, because he went rigid at the sudden contact. The wound slowly closed up, but only slightly.

Kratos pushed Anna away, glaring, "I can take care of this!"

_Touchy b- _Anna's thoughts were cut off when she saw a green light surround the mercenary.

"First Aid!" Anna watched as the rest of the wound healed, as well as the one on his shoulder.

"But…you…you're human! How…can you use magic?!"

"I just can," Kratos huffed. He turned, and began to walk away. "Thank you for…helping...I must leave now."

"Wait!" He turned and stared at her. "I mean, um, would you like to come with me to this house I'm staying at? It's huge. You could stay with me and my parents for a bit, since you know, you just got healed and whatnot. Plus, your…dog could rest for a bit. It's only a mile or so away."

The truth was that Anna wanted to inspect this mercenary. Also, he was really, creepy, but at the same time, handsome. Besides, he could help fight off monsters, which Anna saw sometimes on the roads.

Anna's request made Kratos stare.

**,',',',**

What was going through this girl's head? She was what, 19, 20, and she was asking him, Kratos, a "traveling mercenary" to stay at her home. This made Kratos laugh inside. The laugh was bitter, and held no humor. But, it couldn't hurt. He could find out more about this suspicious girl. Besides, Noishe did seem a bit tired.

"Alright, I'll come." The girl started walking and Kratos followed.

"I'll lead the way."

"Do you have a name?" Kratos' tone was mocking.

"Oh!" The girl blushed, "I'm uh, Anna, heh…"

Kratos looked at Anna. _She…blushed?_ That was strange.

Little did Anna know, that the prophesy had begun to complete it self, and while this was happening, Kratos was also unaware of his life starting to change by the second.

**,',',',**

**Chapter two of my fic! Yay. Sorry for it's shortness.**

**Oh, and with the gels thing, I read from multiple sources that the HP gels get rubbed on the wound while TP ones are swallowed. That totally makes sense, but raises one question fro me…**

**What do you do with TP/HP ones? Just ponder that…**

**So, I guess you can expect more updates from me…maybe.**

**Ciao!**


	3. Parents' Suspicion

**Yeeeaaah... Kinda late..heh…**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, nope.**

**,',',',**

**Chapter Three: Parents' Suspicion**

As the two walked along, Noishe snuggled up against Anna while walking.

"Aw, hey, what's his name?"

"His name is Noishe. He seems to like you. I can tell you aren't a bad person."

Anna stared slightly, "What d'you mean?"

"Noishe never takes too kindly to people he doesn't think are very nice," Kratos pet Noishe between his two huge ears.

"Amazing. His name sounds old. I've never heard of a dog named Noishe," Anna walked ahead, and turned to face Kratos.

"He really isn't a dog. He is a protozoan, the last of his kind. Over thousands of years, protozoans change to different forms. When I found him, I thought of different names, and he like Noishe."

Anna looked at Noishe admiringly, "So he's smart, too. Smart and cute, heh." She kneeled down and scratched Noishe behind the ears, and he in turn licked her face.

"That is interesting. The only person he's ever liked that quickly was me."

"So I guess I'm special," Anna giggled. Her attempts at small talk were going well. She never expected him to actually tell her this much, which still wasn't a lot.

"Perhaps…" Kratos was confused. Why was he talking to her like this? He felt comfortable talking with her, and she was so easy to talk to her. Maybe his human emotions were…no, impossible.

Anna stopped, "Why'd you stop moving, huh?"

"Nothing, let's continue…"

"Fine…I have a question…since we're heading to my home now… What about_ your_ home? Where do you come from? I mean, it's not like you fell from the sky or anything," the girl snorted; very unladylike…ish.

Kratos half-choked. It was a dignified choke! He finally stated, "I have no home." Woops, easiness gone. Kratos took up his 'Look at me! I'm a superior Cruxis angel; fear me!' look.

"What about your family? Did you just forget them or something?" That comes from one who would kill another for belittling their family. She stands for those things.

"They're all gone now…" Kratos continued walking. Annoying girl!

"Ooohh…" _Great Anna. Smart. Just go hitting nerves with a mallet! Aaaarrgh!_ She walked along next to him quietly for the rest of the walk. Only one monster was encountered the whole way.

**,',',',**

"Well, here we are…" Anna nervously shuffled her feet. By the time they had arrived, the sun was setting and the sky was red.

Kratos stared at the building. It was an old house, big enough to fit a family of, what? 20? It must've been a mansion before or something. "It's…nice?" That was the first words he had spoken since, well, when he started to be quiet.

"The owner is letting us use it 'till our house in Luin is built. Shall we go in?"

"…"

Anna looked at the seraph, "I guess that's a yes?" Kratos just nodded. This house looked very familiar; he just had to figure out why. Detective Kratos on the case! …I wish.

The front door suddenly creaked open, and two middle aged people came out. Parents.

"Anna! We were worried about you! What took you so long?" The woman had chestnut brown hair, pulled back into a bun, and matching eyes. She was dressed plainly, like the man next to her.

"And who is this man?" said other man asked, eying Kratos suspiciously. His hair was black, with a few grey streaks in it. His eyes though were a piercing blue. If Kratos was someone else, he would have shuddered…violently.

"Herbert! (A/N: Just had to use that name…) They look tired, let the boy be!" Au contraire! Kratos is neither young, nor tired, ha! Err, yeah.

"Thanks, mom. C'mon grump." As if on some kind of cue, Kratos huffed and followed. Noishe stayed outside, resting on some beautiful shrubbery.

They followed Anna's mother inside, her dad glaring daggers into Kratos' back.

Anna's mother ushered them to couches, "Come, sit. I'll make tea." So they sat.

"Ooh, I'm gonna go change!" Anna ran off, and in a minute flat came back with her dark brown hair in a loose braid falling across her back. She wore a sleeveless green turtleneck dress that reached to just above her ankles. Underneath it was a black long sleeve shirt. A brown sash was hanging loosely off her hip. It was a definite change from her bland traveling clothes.

There was a silence until Anna's mom came through with a plate with tea and cups on it.

"So, tell us about yourself. How did you meet our little Annabelle?" Anna started to sputter on her tea, and then started to cough. Her mother only used her full name when she was angry, or thought the man she was meeting had some interest or sparked interest in Anna. Five points to those who know what her mom meant by it. Anna started to blush furiously.

Kratos took on his bored and slightly monotonous voice, "My name is Kratos, a traveling mercenary." And he just stopped, which basically was his way of not saying 'I could talk, but I do not really feel like it'.

Anna took over, "Heh, uh, I was in the forest next to the stream, and I heard him fall through the trees. He had been attacked by someone after his last job, so I gave him a gel, because he was hurt. So he accompanied me here, and it's a good thing too, we ran into a big monster on the way." It was a slight stretch of the truth, but it was all true enough. The monster was a bug…a ladybug…that was tiny…very tiny… Oh how much Anna screamed! She hated bugs…

"Really? Are you okay now, Mr. Kratos?" Worry showed on the mother's face. Anna sighed, her mother worried too much.

"Perfectly fine," he grunted. _Annoying people…_ oh how they irked him. Worrisome questions and dagger glaring. Oh Martel, how Kratos hated those idiot daggers. He decided to glare back, but subtly. The only one he seemed fine with was Anna, for which he mentally hit himself with a million hammers and other heavy weapons.

She looked so plain, but somehow she seemed so beautiful…Kratos was amazed how much he seemed to like her. Mental hammers, mental hammers, MENTAL HAMMERS! So then, Kratos gave himself a headache. Smart. Also attributed to that headache was the blood loss from before.

He clutched his head. "Excuse me…I am not feeling very well," he stood up.

Anna jumped up, wanting an excuse to be away from her neurotic parents, "I'll show you a spare room you could stay in for the night."

"Oh yes, Anna! That would be lovely of you! Show our guest a room," her mother waved them off, giggling strangely. Anna smiled and chuckled nervously, pushing Kratos to the hallway.

**,',',',**

**Sorry if it's a bit boring. It will get better if I do update once in a while… By the way, for all you who are thinking, 'What about the whole ranch spheal'…well it's coming.**


	4. To Sleep and to Spy

**Coughcoughcough… I'm soooooo sorry…. I am a bad person! Repent! Repent! Ow… Okee, now that that's over, enjoy this chapter. (Then again, this was faster than others in my history of updating...)**

**Disclaimer: Do you think I own it? Hmm, do you? Didn't think so.**

**,',',',**

**Chapter Four: To Sleep and to Spy**

"Jeez… my parents are so annoying! You should be glad I saved you there. They woulda started prodding you to no ends! Well, c'mon, let's find you a room," Anna grabbed Kratos' wrist and pulled him along. He said nothing all the while.

Anna stopped in front of an ornate wooden door after leading Kratos along for a bit. The door looked strangely familiar to Kratos, and only when Anna dragged him along inside did he realize why.

"I know this room…" he muttered quietly to himself.

Anna looked over at him, "Whuzzat you said?"

"…Nothing."

Anna sighed, "Well this will be your temporary room. My room is next door. This is pretty much the only room not filled with our crap. Make yourself at home. I'm gonna hit the hay! I hate walking for that long." She left the room grumbling.

Kratos looked around the room. He remembered that time a couple centuries ago, when this house was good as new. A kindly old man had let him room there for the night, in this exact room, after he had been traveling to do Yggdrasill's bidding.

The room was simply decorated with a queen sized bed, a desk with a candle on it, a wardrobe, which Kratos didn't need, and an armchair that looked like it would fall apart if it was sat on. A window was on the wall, giving a view of the front lawn of the house. The candle was then lit by Kratos, seeing as it was dark without it. A soft light filtered the room, making things easier to see. Even his angel seeing wasn't the best in the dark.

He laid himself on the large bed, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted elsewhere, to his childhood…his first journey with the Yggdrasills and Yuan.

"I can't stay here…" he mumbled, sitting up. _Besides, it's only a matter of time before those people get _too_ nosy… especially that Anna girl._

He walked over to the window, sorting out his thoughts. Staring down, he saw Noishe resting, panting softly. _I'll just leave and take Noishe. It's not like I'll be missing much._ He chuckled dryly. There was a hint of bitterness in his laugh. The girl's family reminded him of his own family; happy parents, with a happy child, or children in Kratos' case.

Kratos mentally hit himself. Why now, of all times, was he thinking of his family?

He slowly opened the window, lifting his leg on to the sill, as if to jump out the window, which he _was_ going to do.

Kratos grunted, swiftly pulling out his sparkling mana wings. He wanted to get away swiftly and quickly. He pulled them back in abruptly, hearing a noise. It was almost like a gasp. Was there someone spying on him? But it was impossible! His angelic hearing would have picked up any foreign footsteps. He couldn't have been _that_ absorbed in his thoughts! Kratos turned looking all about him, but he could find nothing out of the ordinary.

He sighed. _My mind is playing tricks on me. It was just my imagination. _He dismissed the thought of some kind of spy.

Kratos slowly walked over to the desk. He blew out the candle and went to his bed. He sat down and he then removed his shoes. He slipped under the bed covers. He decided to at least try to seem normal. The seraph contemplated what he'd done over the years. Was his decision to leave Cruxis what was truly best for his own well being? The angel sighed. He turned on his side and curled up slightly. Thinking of those kinds of things always left his mind at unrest.

Kratos' eyelids unexpectedly drooped. He hadn't gone to sleep in months. Of course, he really didn't have to, but he felt a sudden wave of exhaustion come upon him. His body, however amplified by the Cruxis crystal, still needed _some_ rest, and tonight was when it wanted to recharge.

Kratos only slept when it was an absolute necessity, and now it was. Still, he enjoyed the small time that let him escape from the world. It was also one of the only times he felt happy, dreaming of when he was a boy, and all the other good times in his life.

Yawning, Kratos slipping further into a slumber. As sleep overtook him, he completely forgot about that noise he heard. It would have to wait for the morning…

Naturally, then, he was unaware of his little spy.

**,',',',**

Anna backed out of Kratos' room. She walked to her bedroom, flopping onto her bed. That was pretty much the only thing in her room. Other than that she had a bureau and a mirror. She liked simplicity. Besides, all her things were in boxes for when they move to Luin.

She really was tired, but she had one purpose: investigating Kratos!

_That man is so damn mysterious! Still, he's really handsome…_ Anna giggled, and then mentally slapped herself. _I have one mission! To see if I can find out more about that mercenary… Detective Anna Irving on the case!_

Anna walked over to the wall connecting the two rooms. She groped along it until she felt what she wanted. She didn't bother to light a candle, so feeling was the only thing she could do. There was a piece of wall that was of different texture. She carefully removed the section. There was now the tiniest peek hole known to mankind. She had discovered it about a week ago, and of course, she immediately assumed it was for spying.

Anna placed her eye up to the hole, and she made her breathing slower and softer. You never know how good a man's hearing is.

She could see everything in the room from that spot. The bed was on a side view on the opposite wall. The door was to the right and the window to the left. The wardrobe was in a corner, while the armchair was on the opposite corner near the door.

At that time Kratos seemed deep in thought, staring out the window. He began to open it, and he looked like he was going to jump from the window.

_What the hell is he doing?! _But then, she saw him pull out the most beautiful, sparkling cerulean wings she had ever seen! Actually, they were the only translucent blue wings she had ever seen. The sight made her gasp.

Suddenly, Kratos withdrew his wings. He looked around. _Not good!_ Anna panicked. Just before Kratos saw her wall area, she covered the hole again. She sat there quietly, not moving, and not even daring to breathe.

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard the mercenary walk somewhere and sit down, most likely on the bed. She heard two thumps. He probably dropped his shoes. She heard the bed creaking beneath his weight. She decided it was safe to take one last peek.

Instead of light, there was darkness in the room, but she could still make out Kratos lying on the bed. He seemed very relaxed which was odd. The whole time he was with her, he didn't relax for a minute. She doubted before that he would be even in sleep. But Anna knew her were deceiving her when she saw his face. It seemed strangely serene, and if she wasn't mistaken, he had on his lips something close to a smile.

Anna shook her head. Nah. It was probably a trick of the light…or lack of light…

She stretched, replaced the cork-like thing in the wall, and went to her bed. She sure was tired.

_I really hope he doesn't find out it was me… An angel! Wow! Man, but I feel guilty now… I should tell…him…_ But the thought was lost as Anna drifted of to sleep.

**,',',',**

**Yay! I finished this all today! Also I think this was my longest chapter. I guess this chapter was kinda the basis of the fic's title. Anyways, I am so excited about this fic now! I want to work on it so much more. But, that usually means I'll abandon it for a month, then write a new chapter… man I hate myself for procrastinating…**


	5. When Memories Attack!

**Okee, I am sorry… Uh, thank you so much, Sika'sheart for the memories idea! I shall bow at your feet for a bit. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed every chapter.**

**There will be reference to Sibling Rivalry! Read if you wanna know more. I do NOT want to explain everything. This chapter will mostly be memory/flashback thingies.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ToS or its characters…period.**

**,',',',**

**Chapter Five: When Memories Attack!**

"_COME BACK YOU NASTY LITTLE SONOFA-"_

"_You'll be insulting Mo-om!" A boy with a mop of auburn hair on his head was running. Fast. He looked to be about seven or eight. In his hands was a bag filled near-bulging with something._

_This was Kratos Aurion._

_He looked behind him where his brother, Alexander, was chasing after hi m. Kratos stuck out his tongue, running on. He looked forward again, the school was right ahead, Alex far behind._

_He almost made it, too. But at the last second, a massive figure jumped out and tackled the boy to the ground._

"_No! Dad! That's not fair!" Kratos huffed, under the bulk of his father. Mr. Aurion was large and muscular. He had short dark brown hair and reddish eyes. His face was looked older than his age, but it had a smile etched onto it._

"_Kratos, what did you steal from him this time?" By that time, Alex had caught up._

"_Well, I was in the twins' room, and under Alex's pillow I found…" he whispered the rest in his dad's ear. Alex, knowing what he was saying turned beet red. Their father roared with laughter._

"_You found Mr. Fluffilupalopagasaurous again? He's in the bag, ain't he," He grabbed his two sons and held them in each arm. He looked to the younger, "Stop stealing things from Alex and Joan's room, okay? And you, Alex…" He looked at the other, "you should probably get over Mr. F. It's not very manly."_

_They both answered with, "Yes Dad."_

"_Now go to school before you're late," he smiled and shooed his two boys off._

_Kratos snickered and looked at his brother, "Yeah, Alex. It's not _manly_."_

_Alex sniffed, "He was having a nightmare."_

_Both entered the school building just in time for class._

**,',',',**

Anna yawned again. She had been awake for ten minutes, doing absolutely nothing. She guessed it was around eight in the morning.

_I wonder what Kratos is doing… Is he even awake?_

She sighed, it was always so boring in the morning, so she decided to go make some breakfast.

One thought passed through her mind.

_Last night… was that all just a dream?_

**,',',',**

Kratos, in fact, was still sleeping, and dreaming.

_A boy sobbed. He had blue hair and was wearing rags. He was a half-elf. That was how Kratos met Yuan._

"_Hey, kid, are you okay?" Kratos poked the boy's shoulder._

"_No!" the boy wailed._

"_Why not? C'mon, cheer up!"_

"_But they took Mom away!" the boy glared up at Kratos. "Some of _your _kind!"_

"_So are you half-elf, or elf?"_

"_Why do you care? You'll just be mean like everyone else!" the boy stood and glared at Kratos at his full height._

"_Half-elf, I see. Wanna go get some ice cream?" Kratos pulled out some coins._

_The boy looked stunned, "I-I… y-you… sure…"_

_Kratos offered a coin, "What's your name? I'm Kratos Aurion."_

"…_Yuan…" Yuan just stared at the auburn-haired boy._

"_Well, c'mon then!"_

"_O-okay..."_

_Yuan followed after Kratos, excited at the prospect of ice cream; and perhaps the one of a new friend._

**,',',',**

_Well, my parents are up._ Anna shuffled to the kitchen.

"I'm makin' breakfast," she called.

Her mom scooted her away fro the stove, "No, I will. Go wake up your friend."

"Fine, fine," she grumbled.

Anna navigated her way through the hallways, stopping in front of Kratos' door.

She slowly extended her hand to the knob. She turned it, opened the door, and entered.

Anna spied Kratos, still in the bed, sleeping soundly.

_Wow, I'm surprised someone like him is not awake yet. I'd expect him to be up since six!_

Kratos had that same look on his face from the night before, except, there seemed to be something wicked about his smile.

"What are you dreaming about….?" Anna laid her hand on the man's shoulder, readying herself to shake him away (most likely dieing in the process).

Anna suddenly felt the mercenary's hand shoot up, grabbing her arm. She then heard Kratos mumble something along the lines of, "If you touch me again, I swear I will kill you…"

"AIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" Anna screeched, yanking her arm from Kratos' grip.

He, in turn, sat up abruptly in his bed, reaching to cover his ears. But, from the force of her pulling her arm away, he was forced off the bed and onto the floor. Kratos landed with a thud.

At that very moment, Mr. and Mrs. Irving rushed into the room, worried looks on their faces, to see Kratos, face first on the ground, fingers clawing ten holes into the floorboards, and Anna, backed up against the wall, looking scared as hell. Her foot was in Kratos' side, due to her natural reaction to 'kick first, run away later'. Talk about awkward.

**,',',',**

**And that was the 'I'm just stalling time so my fic isn't rushed' chapter. I liked it. And thanks again, Sika'sheart, for the idea.**


	6. Departure

**Gaaaah! I'M SO SORRY! I feel so noncommittal… which _is_ a word, by the way. Erm, I look back and I think the fic is truly horrible up to now. I will probably go back and rewrite it. I hope some plot will fit in… somehow. Um, you should see some improvement in my work. That's what I've been trying to do lately, improve. I find it ironic, though, that spring break just ended, and I'm writing NOW. Erm, enjoy? And Sika'sheart, after I sent you the reply, I realized what you meant. Alex wasn't mature enough at any point, childhood or adulthood, to name his rabbit anything decent.**

**,',',', **

**Chapter Six: Departure**

"What the bloody hell are you two doing?!" Mr. Irving roared, gesturing to the two on the floor. Said two persons were currently in an awkward position.

"Um…" was Anna's reply.

"I do not know," Kratos growled, but somehow rather calmly, "Why don't you ask the one shoving her foot in my side."

Mrs. Irving complied, "Anna, what happened?"

Anna in turn removed her foot and stood up straight, half-way composed, "He threatened to kill me if I touched him again!"

"WHAT?!" The Irvings gasped and yelled simultaneously. Mr. Irving's fingers looked completely ready to wring Kratos' neck.

The mercenary, though, just stood up with what dignity he could, "I did no such thing. I was asleep until you screamed extremely loudly and woke me." And it had hurt. Sometimes Kratos hated his hearing.

"No way! I was going to wake you, though I thought you'd be up by now, and you said, and I quote, 'If you touch me again, I swear I will kill you,'" Anna retorted. The Irving parents stood in the background just watching.

Kratos groaned and rubbed his temples. This was something he did not need. The auburn-haired man sighed, "I was… dreaming of my siblings. You just happened to hear me talk in my sleep to one of them as she hugged me when I did not desire physical contact. Happy?"

"No, not really. You scared the bejeezles outta me."

"Well if that's all dealt with, can we go back-" Mr. Irving started, then being interrupted by Noishe's barks.

Kratos stiffened, "What? Damn it! I must leave. Thank you for your… hospitality." The purple-clad man quickly gathered his belongings, turned, and ran out of the room.

Just after he had left, Anna eyed an object left behind by Kratos. She picked it up, "Wait! You forgot your-!" She called after him, but knew he was gone. Anna observed the item. It seemed to be some sort of key.

"I'm gonna go after him!" Anna waved to her stunned parents, rocketing out of the bedroom door.

**,',',',**

Kratos emerged from the large domicile in a rushed manner. Noishe was panting, rigid, but seemingly ready to leave at a second's notice.

"People are coming? Desians?" Kratos sped to Noishe's side. The protozoan nodded. Kratos cursed, jumping onto his pet's back, "They must be from the Asgard ranch! Take me to Luin!" He knew it would endanger the people, but they would find him easier in an empty space.

Noishe began at a trot, but soon went full speed. Luin was very close; it wouldn't take very long to get there.

**,',',',**

Anna came from her home just to see Kratos depart on Noishe's back.

"Crap! He can ride that dog?" She stomped her foot to the ground and began darting at full speed after the mercenary.

**,',',',**

Noishe snarled a few times to get Kratos' attention.

"I'm fully aware that there is someone following us! I can hear them!" Kratos barked.

Noishe whined. "Anna? Why would she follow us? I cannot be her."

Nonetheless, Noishe halted suddenly, putting Kratos in danger of flipping off.

"Noishe!" The green and white 'dog' just howled.

**,',',',**

Anna was just about to give up on her chase; they were too fast! Still, she persisted. Finally, after not too long, Noishe for some reason stopped abruptly, as if waiting for her to come. Taking his invitation, she hurried along to catch up.

**,',',',**

Kratos sighed, "Noishe, could you get up and hurry?"

Noishe just flicked his head in a backwards direction. Kratos glanced back, and lo and behold, there was Anna Irving, gasping as she ran to lessen the distance between them. Noishe gave him a wolfish grin.

"So I was wrong. Don't let it get to you."

"KrrAAAaaaaaAATttTToOOOOS!" Anna bellowed with the remaining air in her lungs as she was about twenty yards from Kratos and Noishe.

Kratos clapped his hands over his ears and Noishe folded his down. She was very loud for being exhausted.

It seemed to take forever for Anna to reach them, but she made it without collapsing. She bent down, hands upon her knees, breathing heavily.

"What do you want?" Kratos inquired.

"You…" Anna held up one finger, gasping for air again. She finally raised herself to full height and let out a great sigh, "Okay, that's better. You left this… this whatever-it-is when you ran off, which was very rude, by the way." She held up the object she had gotten off the floor after the man had bolted.

Kratos stared at the item. It was the key to his room in Derris-Kharlan! It was of no consequence. He needed it no longer. Still, he took it from her hand, "Thank you very much. You should probably return home now. It is not safe."

He climbed back on Noishe's back, gave Anna one final glance before prompting Noishe to go. The protozoan tensed up and whined. But at a glare from his master, he quickly began running again.

**,',',',**

Anna watched as Kratos went until he was out of her line of vision.

"That man!" She heaved a sigh, "What does he mean 'not safe'?! What would he know?"

At the moment, she felt heavy resentment towards the mercenary. She took all the effort to return that thingy, and he just thanks her (without even trying to sound like he meant it) and leaves her I the dust, telling her to 'return home'.

"Pfft! Men!" But Anna did turn to go back home. In a few days, everything would be back to normal. Boring, but normal.

Anna sighed again. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"I had better get walking… Mom and Dad might worry…"

But after walking for a bit, nearing her home, she felt something unsettling. The woman slowed down a bit, listening. She heard footsteps from behind. She whirled around to meet whoever was back behind her, but just as she did, she felt a pain in her head. She fell to the ground, vision growing foggy.

Before she completely faded out, she heard two men talking.

"It was a good idea to separate."

"I think Lord Kvar will like her."

"She's perfect for it!"

But then, Anna's world went completely black.

**,',',', **

**Finally! Something exciting! Two and a half pages. Bet you expected more. Sorry. So many transitions… I hate those so much. Ugh, I'm tired. I started this tonight and now it's 12:30… greeaaat. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!**


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